* Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced his resignation on Thursday after preliminary results showed his right-wing bloc lost its parliamentary majority in the general election.
* Chair of Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC) Ella Pamfilova said on Thursday that a Sashenka AI assistant will be used for the first time to handle calls and provide information around the clock during the parliamentary elections scheduled for Friday to Sunday.
* The United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution allowing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' participation in this year's general debate via video, following the United States' denial of a visa to him.
* The United States will allow top Iranian officials to attend next week's high-level United Nations (UN) meetings in New York, local media reported on Thursday, citing the U.S. Department of State.
* The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill imposing sanctions on Russia and Iran, sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature.
* Ukraine received 252 bodies from Russia as part of repatriation efforts, the country's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Thursday. According to the Russian side, the bodies belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel.
* Cambodia has expelled 72,426 illegal foreign nationals over three years, from September 2023 to September 2026, an official said on Thursday. Ministry of Interior Spokesperson Touch Sokhak said that of those deported, approximately 25,703 were linked to online scams.
* U.S. President Donald Trump is making plans for a first-ever meeting with Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez as early as next week, U.S. online news outlet Axios reported Thursday, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
* Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that no country could dictate Canada's language, culture or international partnerships, responding to U.S. President Donald Trump's threat over closer ties between Canada and the European Union.
* Brazil is expected to post a record trade surplus of more than 90 billion USD in 2026 despite new U.S. tariffs on Brazilian products, Vice President and Development, Industry, Trade and Services Minister Geraldo Alckmin said Thursday.
* The U.S. government has approved the potential sale of 48 F-35 stealth fighter jets and related equipment to Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Department of State said Thursday. The estimated total cost is 24.3 billion USD, the department said in a statement.
* Iran on Thursday ordered a Swedish diplomat to leave the country within 48 hours in response to Sweden's expulsion of an official at the Iranian embassy in Stockholm, while rejecting Sweden's accusations against Tehran as "baseless."
* Indonesia and Malaysia on Thursday signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation on rural development, including village entrepreneurship, digitalization and poverty alleviation.
* Norway and Italy discussed ways to strengthen cooperation on European security, competitiveness and strategic industries during Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's visit to Oslo on Thursday.
* Qatar announced Thursday a grant of about 1.3 million liters of fuel to the Gaza Strip to meet humanitarian needs and keep vital services running, particularly in healthcare, according to a statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry.
* The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Friday a "violating" oil tanker that sought "illegal" passage through the Strait of Hormuz was struck the previous night and brought to a halt.
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel would topple Iran's government, eliminate Hamas and continue its campaign against Hezbollah.
* Yemen's Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi on Thursday rejected accusations that his group had attempted to attack the Islamic holy city of Mecca, calling the allegation "fabrication and misinformation" amid escalating hostilities with Saudi Arabia.
* Yemen's Houthi group said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia's warplanes had carried out 37 airstrikes on two Yemeni provinces over the past 24 hours, causing civilian casualties, as fighting between the Houthis and Yemen's government forces continued to intensify.
* Libyan airline MedSky on Thursday resumed direct air services between Libya and France after a hiatus of more than 15 years, launching a triangular route connecting Tripoli, Paris and Benghazi.
* UN Tourism on Thursday lowered its forecast for growth in global international tourist arrivals in 2026 to between 1 percent and 2 percent, from the 3-4 percent projected in January, as conflict in the Middle East and rising travel costs weigh on momentum.
* The Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Friday raised its policy interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1.25 percent, the highest in about 31 years, following a two-day board meeting.
* Finland's economy is expected to grow 1.7 percent this year, two Finnish economic research institutes said Thursday, as stronger exports and investment support the recovery, while high unemployment and rising public debt remain major challenges.
* Belarusian gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 1.9 percent in the first eight months of 2026, the National Statistical Committee said on Thursday.
* Petrol and diesel prices both increased in New Zealand in August compared with the previous month, official figures showed on Friday. Petrol prices rose 2 percent in August, while diesel prices increased 8.6 percent, Stats NZ said in a statement.
* Total assets of Kyrgyzstan's banking sector reached 1.4761 trillion soms (about 16.9 billion USD) as of July 31, up 21.9 percent from the beginning of the year, the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic has said.
* Rivers around the world had one of the driest years in more than three decades in 2025, according to a new report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Thursday. The report warns of a continuation of the long-term decline in freshwater storage and glacier retreat, trends with serious implications for the future of the planet, its people and economies.
* Australia's population grew 1.4 percent in the 12 months to March 2026, reaching 27.9 million, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday.
* The Lao government has ordered urgent nationwide measures to contain an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), including a strict ban on the movement of pigs and pork between provinces and districts and a prohibition on imports from abroad.
* Available data do not confirm that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached its peak, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
* Indonesian authorities have ended a search for eight people, including five journalists, who went missing near the erupting Anak Krakatau volcano after rescuers found no trace of their boat or passengers, an official said Thursday.
* Torrential rains that swept across eastern Spain this week have left at least one person dead and caused flooding and transport disruptions in several regions along the Mediterranean coast.
